Hey all! So I got a yellow watchamn goby and during the QT process he burrowed and more or less stayed in that spot. I move him into the DT with a clown pair and he kept swimming around the top and not settling and I noticed the clowns nipping him. I assumed this was because of aggression. I since move the clowns to the QT tank to give him time to settle, and after 2 weeks he has still not burrowed. I added a lot of rock to make hiding and escape easier and the rock is now tallers, so when he is not swimming in circles with the flow on the top he is sitting on the rock. I am at this point fairly certain it was not the clowns seeking him out, but more him swimming into their spot, and I want him to settle but he seems not to want to. Has anyone noticed this? There are no other aggressors in the tank so there is no reason he should be too stressed to burrow. Will it just take more time? I bought an acclimation box for when I try to reintroduce the clowns, do yall think having them present in the box will get him to go the the ground (I really doubt this one but just an idea)? I want to get a pistol shrimp, but ive heard that if he doesnt burrow on his own he likely wont join the pistol shrimp anyway, is that true? For more context at night he is on the ground, the swimming behavior is when the lights are on. Any help is appreciated!
Yellow Watchman Goby will not burrow
- Thread starter 00pflint
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CHSUB
2500 Club Member
After several weeks my YWG has not made a burrow or anything. When introduced to DT he was destroyed by other fish and I had to move him to a different tank in a connected system without the pistol
. He was also pick on in the new tank by a small clown, but after several weeks is now holding his own, however doesn’t do much besides just sitting there. Not sure this is any help, just my story of maybe a similar situation?
. He was also pick on in the new tank by a small clown, but after several weeks is now holding his own, however doesn’t do much besides just sitting there. Not sure this is any help, just my story of maybe a similar situation?
SonOfaGoat
Active Member
Im sure he's got a lair at night. But count yourself lucky, my YMG has only started to make himself a little more visible besides feeding time only recent. And I've had him over a year.
Jack_L
Active Member
This is a piece written based on my gobie experiece so far.In the vast, glass-encased expanse of this one-hundred-and-sixty-gallon reef, we witness a remarkable study in contrast. A view from below.
Here, the Yellow Watchman Goby remains a stoic observer. Unlike his more industrious kin, he shows a peculiar—and perhaps refined—disinclination for manual labor. He does not dig. Instead, he navigates the existing limestone crevices, moving from one pre-existing cavern to the next with an air of quiet opportunism. For the keeper of this realm, this stillness is a welcome reprieve.
For elsewhere, a tempest rages.
The Sleeper Goby is a creature of ceaseless, frantic ambition. A true "sandstorm machine," it sifts through the substrate with such vigor that the very atmosphere of the reef becomes choked with sediment. To restore clarity to these waters, the Great Provider was forced to intervene—laboriously replacing the fine, silty floor with a special grade substrate.
A hard lesson was learned in the process. The "Oceans Direct" sediment, once touted for its vitality, proved to be a catastrophic choice—a "milky, muddy mess" that obscured the 400 wats of piercing LED and tested the limits of patience. It is a mistake that, in this keeper, shall never, never repeat.
But let us return to our sedentary Watchman. Though he refuses to move a single grain of sand himself, nature has provided a solution. Into the tank, a Pistol Shrimp was introduced. The union was instantaneous. By the very first night, the Goby had descended upon the newcomer—not as an aggressor, but as a sentinel.
Now, they share a singular burrow. The shrimp, a tireless excavator, maintains their subterranean home, while the Goby stands guard at the entrance, his unblinking eyes scanning the horizon. It is one of nature’s most enduring partnerships: the blind engineer and his golden scout, finally at rest in a world of clear, crystalline water.
Chessmanmark
Well-Known Member
My last one didn’t burrow, but stayed on top of the sand. I gave it a pistol shrimp and they paired up immediately. The shrimp did the digging and the watchman stayed by an entrance grabbing food that floated by.
The symbiosis is as compelling as a clownfish and enemies. It was ten times more entertaining with the pistol shrimp. Sadly the shrimp outlived the goby and is still burrowing in the sand, on the other side of the tank now.
The symbiosis is as compelling as a clownfish and enemies. It was ten times more entertaining with the pistol shrimp. Sadly the shrimp outlived the goby and is still burrowing in the sand, on the other side of the tank now.
is there like a pistol shrimp? i think it has like some lookout instinct idk
From what I understand you have it backwards . I have one and it does not burrow. The relationship between them and shrimp is that the shrimp has poor eyesight and the Goby protects it . The shrimp is the house builder / keeper and keeps a feeler on the Goby . If the Goby darts into the burrow the shrimp does too. Mine wanders about if it feels comfortable but not far
I've had a few ywg/pistol pairs over the years. The goby never burrows. Always lets the pistol do the work. When one or the other passes and I drop a replacement in they always find each other sometimes within minutes. OP, get your goby a buddy!
exnisstech
Grumpy old man
When i kept a yellow watchman goby it didn't burrow but is sure liked to spit sand all over the coral I had on the bottom.
higher99
Active Member
My YWG is in QT and since he’s a slow mover, he was stressed out. The clown and hawkish was messing with it and the fin was nipped. I ended up moving him to a breeder box but a seperatoon box works too. He eats fine and fins are all healed.
The was stressed out because he lives with the pistol shrimp but they’ve been separated for a month. Will be back into main display in a]2 weeks.
higher99
Active Member
That’s so cool haha, I have the same pair but my mines is just a mini version of yours
This is a piece written based on my gobie experiece so far.
In the vast, glass-encased expanse of this one-hundred-and-sixty-gallon reef, we witness a remarkable study in contrast. A view from below.
Here, the Yellow Watchman Goby remains a stoic observer. Unlike his more industrious kin, he shows a peculiar—and perhaps refined—disinclination for manual labor. He does not dig. Instead, he navigates the existing limestone crevices, moving from one pre-existing cavern to the next with an air of quiet opportunism. For the keeper of this realm, this stillness is a welcome reprieve.
For elsewhere, a tempest rages.
The Sleeper Goby is a creature of ceaseless, frantic ambition. A true "sandstorm machine," it sifts through the substrate with such vigor that the very atmosphere of the reef becomes choked with sediment. To restore clarity to these waters, the Great Provider was forced to intervene—laboriously replacing the fine, silty floor with a special grade substrate.
A hard lesson was learned in the process. The "Oceans Direct" sediment, once touted for its vitality, proved to be a catastrophic choice—a "milky, muddy mess" that obscured the 400 wats of piercing LED and tested the limits of patience. It is a mistake that, in this keeper, shall never, never repeat.
But let us return to our sedentary Watchman. Though he refuses to move a single grain of sand himself, nature has provided a solution. Into the tank, a Pistol Shrimp was introduced. The union was instantaneous. By the very first night, the Goby had descended upon the newcomer—not as an aggressor, but as a sentinel.
Now, they share a singular burrow. The shrimp, a tireless excavator, maintains their subterranean home, while the Goby stands guard at the entrance, his unblinking eyes scanning the horizon. It is one of nature’s most enduring partnerships: the blind engineer and his golden scout, finally at rest in a world of clear, crystalline water.
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